High-low Poker: To Deal, or not to Deal?

In reality, there are many Poker veterans who are eluded by the growing popularity of High-low.

They have only one valid argument: taste. They argue that High-low is a hybrid game, but Poker in any form is a hybrid game.

Early in the nineteenth century, French-speaking people of New Orleans bred their game of poque to as nas, a Persian import, and the offspring became known as Poker.

It also has the genes of games from many other countries. And what's wrong with a good hybrid?

The most delectable vegetables, the most beautiful flowers, some marvelous cattle and dogs are all products of logical and careful hybridization.

Some figures in evidence: the natural triplets, straights, flushes, full houses, four-of-a-kinds, and straight flushes total 74,628.

The hands of comparable scarcity at the other end of the scale--- the three lowest categories of hands below one pair-- are eight-highs, seven-highs, and six-highs. Those runts total only 53,040.

For those who want a more complex, more difficult, more exhilarating form of Poker than the classical one-winner variations, High-low is the answer.

At High-low, the usual practice is to permit optional use of the A's: above the K's, or below the twos. The lowest possible hand is six four three two A, not in the same suit.

Held in the same suit, those cards constitute a flush. Note that five four three two A is a straight. Low hands are ranked from the top down; seven five three two is lower than seven six three two A.

After the last round of betting, either of two ways may be used to declare for high or low: vocally or by means of chips.

Where the vocal method is used, the last raiser declares first; the other stayers follow in clockwise order.

Where the chip method is used, each stayer, concealing his intent, reaches among his chips; all the stayers simultaneously extend and open their fists.

One chip is declaration for high. An empty fist is a declaration for low. The holder of the highest hand declaring for high and the holder of the lowest hand declaring for low divide the pot.

It is permissible to declare for both high and low, vocally or by means of two chips, according to group procedure.

A stayer declaring for both must win both outright. If he is beaten or tied either way, he loses everything. The remaining stayers divide the pot, according to their declarations and hands.

To avert endless whipsawing, the number of raises during each round of betting must be limited.